3D printings new frontier: Rebuilding lost reefs

Three-dimensional printing is now being used to build underwater cities, which are actually pretty nice places to live, if you happen to be a Hamour or a Sweetlips.

Reef Arabia and 3D printing company D-Shape are working to replace lost reefs and restore the ecosystem in the Arabian Peninsula by “printing” artificial reefs using sandstone as a substrate. The project has created towers that are functional for the fish and look like an underwater city.

The technology behind 3D printing allows for the use of almost any substrate for construction. If printed sandstone structures prove effective in restoring the coral reefs around the Arabian Peninsula, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, for instance, might want to consider the idea for its Coral Reef Conservation Program, which addresses the loss of coral in Hawaii and elsewhere.